Is it all just pain, loneliness and suffering in modern times? The grandiose and brutal Francis Bacon exhibition in London shows more of his love of partying, his friends – and his joy in open meat.
At the end of the year, London’s West End is a little busier than usual. The cycle rickshaws circle around Piccadilly Circus with loudspeakers blasting out “Jingle Bells” in a hi-energy disco version, and at the Christmas Market in Trafalgar Square people party right through to the new year. The hard drinks go even better than the beloved mulled wine, and there is also “German Bratwurst” from the swivel grill. When a pellet bursts over the embers of charcoal and the meat drips with juice: can we then think of the paintings by Francis Bacon, which are currently being shown just around the corner in the National Portrait Gallery?